Rome

“Are you sure that’s a good idea sir?” Triton asked.

“We don’t have to fear them anymore,” Brutus said.

“Caesar wouldn’t approve,” Triton said.

“You have your orders Triton. Now make sure every Roman legion knows about the removal of the bounty Xena’s head and that her friends are no longer wanted by Rome.”

The Forest

“Do you think Brutus will lift the bounty?” Amarice said. She still hated Brutus. Her hatred for him would never end.

“Brutus won’t be in charge. It will be either Marc Antony or Octavian. Brutus is a man of honor, he’ll do the right thing.”

“I sure hope you’re right. I hate Romans.” Amarice continued on ahead.

“Where did you put Argo?” Gabrielle asked.

“In a pasture near here.”

“Xena . . . ”

“Yes?”

“I just noticed something.”

“What’s that?”

“You don’t have your chakram.”

“I don’t.” “Where is it?”

“Gone.”

“What do you mean gone?”

“You can’t change fate entirely.”

“It’s broken?”

Xena nodded. She continued on ahead.

Gabrielle looked around. She felt a cold breeze. She sensed a foreign presences. Since Xena didn’t notice it, she made nothing out of it.

The Forest – Night Time

Xena was off scouting. Amarice was asleep. Eli and Gabrielle were sitting by the fire.

“I did something back in that prison that I thought I would never do,” Gabrielle said. “I gave into the hate. I’ve let her down in someway.”

“What you did, doesn’t matter. What matters is that you did it out of love,” Eli said. “You were faced with a situation that is one of the toughest to be in. And I’m sure she doesn’t feel you let her down.”

“When I picked her sword, it was like second nature to me,” Gabrielle said. “I knew what to do. And I wanted to do it.”

“For your and Xena’s sake, I’m glad you did know what to do,” Eli said. “You’ll be tested. You’ll fail many times.”

“But I still killed,” Gabrielle said.

Xena had returned from her rounds, but stayed hidden. She listened in on Gabrielle and Eli’s conversation.

“Yes. But when you chose to give in to the violence, you did it because you were protecting someone,” Eli said. “That doesn’t make any better the reason. She was pleading with me the whole time to stop. I couldn’t,” Gabrielle said. She was hurting and it was obvious. Eli moved into to comfort her.

Xena quietly moved away from the campsite and head back out into the woods. She had her own reflecting to do. Gabrielle’s was best left to Eli.